I cycle from sleeping to the point of being in a coma, without dreams, to having nightmares that prevent me from sleeping for days, to a complete inability to get to sleep in the first place.. Not all of us have every single symptom the exact same.. so don't panic GodSeeker, you are normal...

Bec

GS,

I used to never remember most nightmares. I simply would shoot up out of bed in a full blown panic attack. I can say I seldome remember many night mares and dreams unless I keep a journal. I can if before lifting my head off the pillow if I think about it remember them. I had a stint for a week where they stood out badly and were just jacked up dreams.

More lately I wake soon as I start to dream. If I don't try to think about it it is soon forgotten.

I had more issues with intrusive thoughts and what my doc said were flashbacks. All wide awake. PTSD does not have every exact symptom identical to the next, but when you have so many of them add up you kind of know. One or two things not happening in the list does not mean you are unusual. Just count your blessings on that one as the nightmares I can recall shake me to the core.

hey Godseeker (i like your name!) i didn't think i was dreaming, or having nightmares. still not sure, don't sleep much, can't dream if you don't sleep, lol.
my husband tells me i do a lot of jumping and jerking and crying and such in my sleep, but i don't remember anything. i do occasionally wake up with that feeling that i was falling. could just be that, who knows. i also have flashbacks usually at night, or when i'm very tired, they seem to be worse. i am thankful that i don't remember dreams/nightmares if i'm having them. like veiled said, everybody is a little different in the symptoms they have. you don't have to have them all. geeze, nobody wants you to have them all. a few are hard enough.
cathy

I thought I'd post an update to "my thread". Good news! I found out today my medical insurance includes consultation with psychiatrist and whatever treatment I need (counselling, psychotherapy, etc.). I've been referred to a psychiatrist on the NHS (UK free health service) but I've been on his waiting list for over a year, with no sign of anything happening. I just need to go back to my doc and get a referral to a private psychiatrist, then things can move forward pretty much immediately. I don't actually have a diagnosis but my doc agrees that it sounds like PTSD.

My symptoms are slowly getting worse, my memory and concentrated are deteriorating and my panic attacks are getting worse. Hopefully this will be the start of the road towards recovery, but I'm prepared for a struggle and for things to get worse before they get better.

Happy Easter!

Hi All,
I used to have very, very frequent nightmares of screaming and yelling at my parents to the point of hysteria in my dreams. I haven't had those for awhile (they went away when I first started going on ssri's), but in the past few months (currently not on ssri's) I've started having violent and scary dreams, but can't remember much about them in the morning. I don't think any of them reveal any new events that happened but are more of a reflection of how scared I am about how anxious and weird I have become in the last few months.

This morning I woke up crying and crying and couldn't stop for a while and took 1mg of xanax so by the time I got to work I was calmer (like now). I finally did get through to my med dr. and she agreed to try a low dose of lexapro. I am relieved, but also still anxious about it because she seems to be a control freak and I feel like my input is always explained away or discounted.

You would not believe the number of times I have gone in there intending to beg for ssri's (since I know they help me for a least a few months), and she talks me out of it. I'm starting to think that I need a new med dr.:drugs:

She gets defensive when I question her decisions (which I do very nicely, thank you very much), that doesn't seem very professional.

Yeah, bob, you totally need to get 'hooked' on that chamomile tea and not alcohol. I fantasize about drinking sometimes, but know that I will be worse off. The anxiety is soooo great that anything to knock me out sounds great...but plug along I must - to not complicate the mess my life is right now.

I gotta try some of that tea, man.

I went to see a private phsych today, I explained everything. She was reluctant to give a diagnosis after one session, which is understandable, but she did say something along the lines of "some would say it's PTSD, some would say you've been through a rough patch" which I found a bit annoying. She also had an annoying habit of interrupting me while I was talking and making me forget what I was going to say.
She told me to give up the :pot: and cut down on the No surprises there.

She also refered me for some CBT - yay! - and prescribed me 2.5mg elanzopine daily to help with insomnia. Anyone here tried elanzopine? She said it was a non-addictive (something) tranquilizer and anti-physchotic.

No, not used that one myself.